Aight, some questions for a campaign I'm writing. Most of them I probably already know what I'm gonna go with/there isn't a great answer but I still want to float a bunch of points for discussion.

I think I'm gonna number them just for ease of answering; they're in no order whatsoever.

1. How old do Astartes of advanced age look/how much do Astartes show age physically? Obviously they'd be warped besides regular aging, but how old facially would you depict traitors from the original legions in the 41st millennium?

2. How old do old eldar look/how much do eldar show age physically?

3. How radical do you think a Solitaire would go in his or her pursuit of Chaos? Would they cooperate with an Inquisitor who used a daemonhost? Warp-relic toting Relictors?

4. Is there any precedent of wards or anything that can be set up to nullify the depressing effect of blanks on psykers? I guess not or the Black Ships would be using them…

5. If the pariah gene being implanted by the c'tan has been retconned out, are blanks not unique to humanity now? Or is something not being mentioned that hasn't been directly contradicted still fluff? Obviously it's fiction and everybody should use their own version of the universe and not get their pants in a bunch about derivations in anyone else's make-believe, etc., but that's kind of important thematically to the universe's underpinnings, I'm just wondering if there's a consensus on what to make of the old c'tan stuff, especially given the dispersion cast on a lot of that stuff from some corners in the first place anyway (I always liked the Deceiver and Void Dragon though).

6. How much is an appropriate amount of time to have pass to have the status-quo of a sector change (like, from no hive fleet on the horizon to tyranid invasion underway) but characters with longevity treatments like Astartes and nobility still be around? Is a century too short?

7. Do the harlequins communicate directly with Cegorach? I imagine they're aloof even for eldar and keep their own council and even the craftworld, exodite, corsair and Commorragh leaders they guide don't know…

8. If solitaires are blanks, and when Cegorach appears to mortals it's as a solitaire, did Slaanesh maybe get the Laughing God himself's soul in the Fall? And is he maybe not laughing anymore?

9. Might it be reasonable to state that necrons are unable to phase out from the interior of a warp storm/rift like the Maelstrom or Eye of Terror to a tombworld in realspace? (I know the phase out rule's gone, but they're definitely still depicted as being able to disappear in a green flash when remaining is to their disadvantage in fluff.)

10. Is phase-out technology supposed to be Dolmen gates now? If so, how does the broken necron get from point A-to-B (B being a tombworld/ship for repair) in the webway, canoptek custodians of the parts of the webway they control? Their codex kind of rules out them having other advanced modes of travel.

11. Is there a precedent for non-Commorragh eldar having tattoos? (Not that I think there needs to be in order to depict them, just wondering.)

12. Are any "lay" Inquisitorial acolytes eligible for promotion to inquisitor? Some presumably aren't (Sororitas, tech-priests, penitents barring very special circumstances) because their respective orders probably have mutually exclusive membership with anything else, but do you think requisitioned crusaders fall into this category?

13. Is there a precedent of any navigator inquisitors, or navigator anythings besides navigators?

14. Are there any examples of humanoid/upright bipedal life that definitely weren't created or influenced by the old ones besides the necrontyr?

15. I believe I've read separately that the light of the Astronomicon doesn't reach the halo stars and that Vostroya is in the halo stars. Has anyone read Rebel Winter? Is this mentioned? This would seem problematic for an important world.

16. Might relatively isolated influential/"major" planets have an area of influence? Would it be legitimate to depict a world as essentially being Vostroyan culturally and demographically that for plot purposes can't be Vostroya itself or part of its system?

17. Without the other phaerons of the Triarch, how does the Silent King communicate with the dynasties? D'ya think he's promoted some? Just enforces his will with praetorians and expects compliance without explanation?

18. In a number of sources (including Deathwatch: The Outer Reach, so not just pre-c'tan neuter/Xenology faff, even though I wouldn't throw all that stuff out automatically), necrons that have retained their personalities can walk among other races incognito. Might it be reasonable for such a necron to be able to disguise a small number of their vassals in the same way as mute retainers?

19. Is there any precedent of the eldar of Commorragh operating in the Eye of Terror/warp rifts and storms, or categorically avoiding them for She-Who-Thirsts reasons?

20. Are there any physical descriptions of what the inside of the Webway looks like? I don't remember any BL or FFG stuff I've read that involved Webway travel actually having anything set in it that required the author to describe it.

21. Just how dumb are regular ogryns? Does pretty much any three-dimensional ogryn character have to be a bone 'ead? If it's noted that this is unusual, might it be acceptable for a brave ogryn to voluntarily enter a cave?

22. Is there any information available on the different types of ogryns?

23. Oh, do you think it's appropriate for a c'tan shard to be able to exert any influence from within a tesseract labyrinth or is that too daemon-y?

Addendum to 18: I guessss maybe it was supposed to be a human from the future using necron chronomancy but I think it was at least ambiguous that a disguised (and in this case either dissident or subversive) necron was a possibility.

PS In English one doesn't capitalize names of species or professions; why is this standard practice surrounding setting-specific names in fantasy and sci-fi? In the grim darkness of the far future there are only proper nouns?

Lord Damocles

30-01-2013, 21:13

5. If the pariah gene being implanted by the c'tan has been retconned out, are blanks not unique to humanity now? Or is something not being mentioned that hasn't been directly contradicted still fluff? Obviously it's fiction and everybody should use their own version of the universe and not get their pants in a bunch about derivations in anyone else's make-believe, etc., but that's kind of important thematically to the universe's underpinnings, I'm just wondering if there's a consensus on what to make of the old c'tan stuff, especially given the dispersion cast on a lot of that stuff from some corners in the first place anyway (I always liked the Deceiver and Void Dragon though).
There is no universal concensus as to what to do about the 'old' and 'new' Necron background (or even if such things even exist as completely seperate entities).

This thread features some discussion on 'retcon by ommission':
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?359674-quot-Anti-Warp-quot-capabilities-of-the-Necrons

Personally, I see no reason why the pariah gene background can't work with the 'new' background exactly as it did with the 'old'.

8. If solitaires are blanks, and when Cegorach appears to mortals it's as an emotionless, blank solitaire, did Slaanesh maybe get the Laughing God himself's soul in the Fall? And is he maybe not laughing anymore?
Solitaires were never definitively stated to be blanks. They used to be immune to psychic powers, but could be psykers themselves, which rather suggests otherwise.

9. Might it be reasonable to state that necrons are unable to phase out from the interior of a warp storm/rift like the Maelstrom or Eye of Terror to a tombworld in realspace? (I know the phase out rule's gone, but they're definitely still depicted as being able to disappear in a green flash when remaining is to their disadvantage in fluff.)
The presence of the Monolith aboard the Unholy Harbringer from the 3rd edition Codex: Necrons might suggest that phase out is hampered by being in the warp - as might the Deciever's punishment of the Herald of the Storm during the conclusion of the Meduas V campaign.

A warp/realspace overlap like the Eye or Maelstrom is an unknown quantity though.

10. Is phase-out technology supposed to be Dolmen gates now? If so, how does the broken necron get from point A-to-B (B being a tombworld/ship for repair) in the webway, canoptek custodians of the parts of the webway they control? Their codex kind of rules out them having other advanced modes of travel.
Necron phase technology is completely seperate to Dolmen technology (which is 'just' hacked webway technology).

17. Without the other phaerons of the Triarch, how does the Silent King communicate with the dynasties? D'ya think he's promoted some?
Presumably he has other Necrons around him who are able/willing to communicate on his behalf.

18. In a number of sources (including Deathwatch: The Outer Reach, so not just pre-c'tan neuter/Xenology faff, even though I wouldn't throw all that stuff out automatically), necrons that have retained their personalities can walk among other races incognito. Might it be reasonable for such a necron to be able to disguise a small number of their vassals in the same way as mute retainers?
I don't see why a group of Xenology-style infiltrator Necrons couldn't get together.

Trazyn is able to make copies of his form, and also change his appearance, so he could presumably create copies of himself in the form of another race.

PS In English one doesn't capitalize names of species or professions; why is this standard practice surrounding setting-specific names in fantasy and sci-fi? In the grim darkness of the far future there are only proper nouns?
GW's stance seems to vary. I capitaise all races, since it seems odd that Space Marines get capitals, but orks or necrons don't.

Menthak

01-02-2013, 18:06

Aight, some questions for a campaign I'm writing. Most of them I probably already know what I'm gonna go with/there isn't a great answer but I still want to float a bunch of points for discussion.

I think I'm gonna number them just for ease of answering; they're in no order whatsoever.

1. How old do Astartes of advanced age look/how much do Astartes show age physically? Obviously they'd be warped besides regular aging, but how old facially would you depict traitors from the original legions in the 41st millennium?

1a. Depends on the god, champions of Slaanesh might look beautiful whilst one of Nurgle will be a corpse, but for an undivided regular, I just draw regular Marine with more evil features, or just keep a helmet on.

2. How old do old eldar look/how much do eldar show age physically?

2A. They don't ala elves

3. How radical do you think a Solitaire would go in his or her pursuit of Chaos? Would they cooperate with an Inquisitor who used a daemonhost? Warp-relic toting Relictors?

3a. Don't see eldar as Radical or puritan to be honest, with their superior knowledge of chaos they'd know what to do and what not to do. I'd assume usually no.

4. Is there any precedent of wards or anything that can be set up to nullify the depressing effect of blanks on psykers? I guess not or the Black Ships would be using them…

4. No, blanks are blanks, you can't force a 'soul' into a person.

5. If the pariah gene being implanted by the c'tan has been retconned out, are blanks not unique to humanity now? Or is something not being mentioned that hasn't been directly contradicted still fluff? Obviously it's fiction and everybody should use their own version of the universe and not get their pants in a bunch about derivations in anyone else's make-believe, etc., but that's kind of important thematically to the universe's underpinnings, I'm just wondering if there's a consensus on what to make of the old c'tan stuff, especially given the dispersion cast on a lot of that stuff from some corners in the first place anyway (I always liked the Deceiver and Void Dragon though).

5a. I think this is a personal thing, in our RP groups, we use Nulls/blanks as people who can't be the target of the warp, and Pariahs as people who project a nullification field. Both occur naturally but can be forced by the C'tan/Necrons.

6. How much is an appropriate amount of time to have pass to have the status-quo of a sector change (like, from no hive fleet on the horizon to tyranid invasion underway) but characters with longevity treatments like Astartes and nobility still be around? Is a century too short?

6a. Can be any amount of time, it could be a day or it could be a few decades, depends on the fleet. You've also got to remember that Astartes and Nobles live aaaaages. So you're fine with any time tbh.

7. Do the harlequins communicate directly with Cegorach? I imagine they're aloof even for eldar and keep their own council and even the craftworld, exodite, corsair and Commorragh leaders they guide don't know…

7.a Couldn't tell you.

8. If solitaires are blanks, and when Cegorach appears to mortals it's as a solitaire, did Slaanesh maybe get the Laughing God himself's soul in the Fall? And is he maybe not laughing anymore?

8a.Couldn't tell you

9. Might it be reasonable to state that necrons are unable to phase out from the interior of a warp storm/rift like the Maelstrom or Eye of Terror to a tombworld in realspace? (I know the phase out rule's gone, but they're definitely still depicted as being able to disappear in a green flash when remaining is to their disadvantage in fluff.)

9a. To state that is to say that they phase out via warp technology. So no, they can usually phase out normally.

10. Is phase-out technology supposed to be Dolmen gates now? If so, how does the broken necron get from point A-to-B (B being a tombworld/ship for repair) in the webway, canoptek custodians of the parts of the webway they control? Their codex kind of rules out them having other advanced modes of travel.

10a Couldn't tell you, just Necro-tech.

11. Is there a precedent for non-Commorragh eldar having tattoos? (Not that I think there needs to be in order to depict them, just wondering.)

11a. Don't see why not, on exodites definatly.

12. Are any "lay" Inquisitorial acolytes eligible for promotion to inquisitor? Some presumably aren't (Sororitas, tech-priests, penitents barring very special circumstances) because their respective orders probably have mutually exclusive membership with anything else, but do you think requisitioned crusaders fall into this category?

12a. As I recall the inquisitor trains his replacement, so if he deems it I don't see why not.

13. Is there a precedent of any navigator inquisitors, or navigator anythings besides navigators?

13a. Nay, especially not since the Heresy.

14. Are there any examples of humanoid/upright bipedal life that definitely weren't created or influenced by the old ones besides the necrontyr?

14a. Hrud, Tarrelians, Kroot, Tau, Humanity.

15. I believe I've read separately that the light of the Astronomicon doesn't reach the halo stars and that Vostroya is in the halo stars. Has anyone read Rebel Winter? Is this mentioned? This would seem problematic for an important world.

15a. Couldn't tell you, sorry.

16. Might relatively isolated influential/"major" planets have an area of influence? Would it be legitimate to depict a world as essentially being Vostroyan culturally and demographically that for plot purposes can't be Vostroya itself or part of its system?

16a. I don't see why not.

17. Without the other phaerons of the Triarch, how does the Silent King communicate with the dynasties? D'ya think he's promoted some? Just enforces his will with praetorians and expects compliance without explanation?

17a. Compliance without explanation.

18. In a number of sources (including Deathwatch: The Outer Reach, so not just pre-c'tan neuter/Xenology faff, even though I wouldn't throw all that stuff out automatically), necrons that have retained their personalities can walk among other races incognito. Might it be reasonable for such a necron to be able to disguise a small number of their vassals in the same way as mute retainers?

18a Definatly. Most planets don't even know what Space marines are, let alone necrons, plus, they can look an awful lot like tech priests with some glue and glitter.

19. Is there any precedent of the eldar of Commorragh operating in the Eye of Terror/warp rifts and storms, or categorically avoiding them for She-Who-Thirsts reasons?

19a. Altansar were sucked in and came out okay (ish) and they all avoid it to a lesser extent.

20. Are there any physical descriptions of what the inside of the Webway looks like? I don't remember any BL or FFG stuff I've read that involved Webway travel actually having anything set in it that required the author to describe it.

20a. I don't know.

21. Just how dumb are regular ogryns? Does pretty much any three-dimensional ogryn character have to be a bone 'ead? If it's noted that this is unusual, might it be acceptable for a brave ogryn to voluntarily enter a cave?

21. Very, they're single minded in the extreme, it's like talking to a toddler. Bone'eads don't have to be from smart Ogryns, they're implants which upgrade ogryn's intelligence, so that they can lead other Ogryns in battle.

22. Is there any information available on the different types of ogryns?

22a. Little to none, most Ogryn are 'imports' as far as I know.

23. Oh, do you think it's appropriate for a c'tan shard to be able to exert any influence from within a tesseract labyrinth or is that too daemon-y?

23a. Probably too Daemon-y, but you could fudge it.

Addendum to 18: I guessss maybe it was supposed to be a human from the future using necron chronomancy but I think it was at least ambiguous that a disguised (and in this case either dissident or subversive) necron was a possibility.

PS In English one doesn't capitalize names of species or professions; why is this standard practice surrounding setting-specific names in fantasy and sci-fi? In the grim darkness of the far future there are only proper nouns?